500. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education the number of schools in counties Wicklow and Wexford that were approached by the National Council for Special Education to open a specialist class; the percentage of those schools declined; the reasons given for these refusals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16949/25]
Topics / Special Educational Needs
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSpecial Educational Needs
2,921 questions from 146 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 22 October 2026.
2,921
questions
2,881 written, 40 oral
146
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 31 |
| February 2025 | 124 |
| March 2025 | 114 |
| April 2025 | 160 |
| May 2025 | 134 |
| June 2025 | 183 |
| July 2025 | 215 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 113 |
| October 2025 | 76 |
| November 2025 | 191 |
| December 2025 | 122 |
| January 2026 | 163 |
| February 2026 | 283 |
| March 2026 | 270 |
| April 2026 | 167 |
| May 2026 | 181 |
| June 2026 | 171 |
| July 2026 | 101 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 44 |
| October 2026 | 78 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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139
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129
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115
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99
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92
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86
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80
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68
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
501. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Education the number of schools in counties Wicklow and Wexford that expressed an interest in opening a special education class in the past two years; the number of applications that were refused; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16950/25]
505. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Education her plans to allocate a budget line to making permanent and to roll out the pilot that took place in Dublin 15, with a central allocation process for special class and special school applications. [17023/25]
526. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education to address the lack of supports for single working parents of children with autism (details supplied) during school holidays, as they rely on term-time-only afterschool services, and need further assistance when schools and afterschool are closed for holidays; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17337/25]
527. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of children with additional needs waiting for a school place in Cork for the upcoming school year; if she will commit to ensuring that each child that needs one has a place in a special school or an ASD class; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17343/25]
531. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education to detail the investment of SEN classes across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown over the past five years, specifically to detail the supports that now exist in those primary schools for children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17377/25]
535. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Education for an update on the expansion of the autism class in a school (details supplied); when the expanded class is expected to be operational; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17414/25]
537. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education the steps being taken to ensure that communication between NCSE and her Department’s building unit is operating effectively given the severe lack of special school places in 2025 and commit to a review to ensure that such a scenario does not materialise again; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17440/25]
538. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if she will undertake a review of the way in which we provide special education classes and special school places for children with additional needs given that the nature of how we undertake assessment of needs is an all year round process that does not conform to the policies surrounding mainstream enrolment; and if she will make a statement on the matt…
539. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education if her Department’s building unit provides for additional headroom capacity in the area of special needs given that the children present with a diagnosis on an all year round basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17442/25]
541. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education the status of an application for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17449/25]
542. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on a request for the establishment of a special class and an SET increase at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17460/25]
550. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Education the additional demand for special class and special school places for September 2025 that has now been identified at primary and secondary school level in Drogheda, following new measures set out to support the forward planning of special education provision in Circular 0080/2024; the measures that are now being taken to ensure the necessary infrastructure, st…
565. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a school place for a child (details supplied) with additional needs be made available for the school year 2025/2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17580/25]
566. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the reason there is a minimum number of students required in a school to meet her Department criteria to open a new special class; what is the minimum number of students required to open a new special class in a mainstream school; if she will review this criteria as small rural schools are an ideal setting to meet the needs of children with additional needs;…
214. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education regarding the publication of the NCSE report on post-school transitions of students with special educational needs (details provided); if she has a plan to implement the recommendations from the research report; if she will commit to collating and publishing STen outcomes for deaf and hard of hearing students; and if she will make a statement on the matter.…
222. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Education to urgently examine the transition of the school therapy model from the HSE to the National Council for Special Education and to immediately reinstate therapy services in special schools and provide appropriate clinical governance and support structures (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16405/25]
228. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education the number of new special schools and special classes that have been sanctioned in Dublin bay north for the 2025-2026 school year; if all of these will be open and operational by September 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16467/25]
125. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education if, given concerns from educational bodies about the adequacy of resources for inclusive education, she will commit to conducting a policy review on resource allocation in schools to ensure that adequate classroom space, flexible learning environments, and assistive technology are provided under the universal design for learning framework; if she will provide …
126. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education if she will address the challenge faced by teachers in both mainstream and special schools who are expected to provide differentiated learning but are not allocated sufficient time to plan, gather resources, and adapt materials due to restrictive special education teaching hours; if she will consider introducing dedicated planning time or additional supports f…
127. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education acknowledging concerns from educators regarding the limited time available for planning and delivering differentiated instruction due to restrictive special education teaching hour allocations, and recognising that effective differentiation is crucial for inclusive education, if she will initiate a policy review to explore mechanisms for providing teachers wit…
128. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education given her Department’s recent decision to reduce the criteria for allocating special education teaching hours from five to three for the upcoming academic year, thereby excluding factors such as student gender and the complexity of individual needs, if she will conduct an immediate policy review to assess the impact of these changes on the adequacy and fairnes…
136. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education if her Department will engage with a school (details supplied) to open a new autism classroom; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16320/25]
363. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Education when a decision will be made on an application for assistive technology for a child (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14988/25]
372. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 576 of 22 January 25, for a further update in relation to the new special school announced for Lucan; to confirm the location; the number of student places; the number of teachers required; the number of SNAs required; an update on hiring, if commenced; when applications for enrolment will open; and if she will make a stat…